<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>When the Hero dies by Jamrockdrops</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23918755">When the Hero dies</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jamrockdrops/pseuds/Jamrockdrops'>Jamrockdrops</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Death, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:33:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,501</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23918755</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jamrockdrops/pseuds/Jamrockdrops</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Amell and Alistair, the King and the Warden left to fight the Archdemon leaving Zevran at the gates. Amell and Zevran's last words had been filled with love and wishes for them to be together when this was all over... But it's not meant to be. </p><p>one-shot that has been in my head for a while. I tried to keep the description of Amell vauge-ish so when you read it if you have an Amell you can see your own Amell, I hope you enjoy.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Female Amell/Zevran Arainai, Zevran Arainai/Female Warden</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>When the Hero dies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm pretty sure the scene where the Warden punches Alistair only happens when they are romanced but my Amell was such good friends with Alistair that punching him felt better suited for her which is why this is how it plays out.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She was gone.It hadn’t been quick or painless, her friends had watched on in horror. Amell, Grey Warden, Circle Mage, all-around do-gooder. Died fighting the Archdemon, her companions barely holding it together as they gathered around her body. Alistair, Sten and Leliana stood looking at her bloody corpse near the dragon's head. Her vivid green eyes were still open, though they were lifeless, there was no energy and even the green of her iris seemed to have dulled. She stared up at the red sky, she was smiling slightly, she was at peace, she had saved everyone she cared about. They would hurt from her death, but ultimately they would be safe and it would be over for her. </p><p>"Oh... Oh, Maker..." Leliana whispered as she put her bow down, her whole body shaking as she tried to stay on two feet. Blood was smeared over her face and armour but she couldn’t stop thinking about her friend long enough to feel it bother her and wash it off. One of her hands slowly raised from her sides as she reached out to her friend, her fingers slightly curled as her body was so weak from the fighting and now weak from the loss. "She can't possibly be... She..." </p><p>Alistair cut her off, his voice breaking "She is... She... Riordan told us..." He couldn’t say more, the Warden’s secrets and all. He looked down at her, it should have been him, he was king, he should have made the sacrifice not her. He should have died for his country and she should have lived and seen so much more of the world, She’d only seen the worst of it, she should have lived to see the best. He took off his glove slowly and dropped it to the floor a hard clank as it hit the ground but no one flinched or was bothered. He wiped his tears, he looked at his best friend, the best friend he had ever had, she had never been anything but kind to him and made him feel like the best person around. He was torn now, looking at her bloodied and broken on the floor, blonde hair so covered in blood you couldn't even make out her natural hair colour, she had told him of Morrigan’s plan but when he shot it down she hadn’t pressured him saying that his future happiness and the safety of Ferelden was all that mattered. He should have noticed the look in her eye as she left his room… she had made the decision then that she would die. Not him. And maybe he should have done it. Maybe he should have slept with Morrigan and had her Bastard because he didn’t think anything could match the pain of seeing her like this now knowing it was his fault.</p><p>Sten didn't say anything, he looked at her sadly though, it was the most emotion he had ever shown any of them. He was able to feel the grief no one was watching him, there was no role to fulfil here. When they had first met she was unimpressive and he often found faults with her decisions but there was no doubting her strength of will. He called her Kadan... A term of endearment in a sense. He remembered when she so casually decided to change their whole course to go and find his sword. A blight ravaging the lands and she still found the time to help save his soul. He could go home, do his job, he was able to tell them that the blight brings devastation and destruction that will affect the world for generations, but that it brings forth at least one worthy person. This time it was her. He felt a sense of overwhelming sadness when he looked at her, her body in positions that it never would have been in naturally. </p><p>They didn't know how long had passed, minutes, seconds, an hour maybe? Time was frozen for them now, the people of Ferelden were celebrating, the worst days of their lives were over but for the Warden’s companion’s no time during the blight compared to this hell. When familiar voices reached them they turned to look, running towards them were their companions, Wynne, Oghren, Shale and Tila Amell's faithful and devoted war hound. Leading them was Zevran, the three of them couldn't stop and look at him, the whole group knew how close the Warden had become with the assassin... Amell had spoken to Leliana often about how she felt about him. She had no memory of life outside the circle and Zevran had all these stories and had seen so many places, they had spent ages talking, side by side as they walked from town to town, when they were sitting around the campfire. She would hang off his every word and he looked at her shocked, she was so understanding and sweet that he couldn’t help but find himself amazed that one minute she would be flustered and the next she argued with political leaders because she didn’t agree with them. When she found out about the Ferelden noble family the Couslands from some Highever refugees she got so angry so quick and made a decision that she would avenge them and everyone who had been lost in the assault. Her innocent heart had been completely stolen by the assassin and her innocence had completely stolen his. </p><p>Leliana had been looking forward to writing love songs and tales of the "Hero and her crow." Now they would all end with heartache, there was no way she could give this a happy ending. Then they heard it, the first one to realise that she wasn’t standing with the rest "Where is she?" Zevran called out, everyone’s heart skipping a beat as they realised they now had to tell people she didn’t make it through the battle. It was Sten who had moved first, he thought the quickest and made the decision without saying a word. He turned swiftly and picked up the elf and started walking away. </p><p>"You do not want to know," Sten replied and the others stopped, with Sten out the way the others could see clearly now the mangled body of their leader. Wynne and Oghren stopped in their tracks, the breath being ripped from their lungs as their brain tried to process what they were seeing. Shale walked over to the small red-haired squishy being, Leliana leaned against Shale, using her as support as Leliana was still shaking, she hadn’t stopped but hadn’t managed to move from her spot either.</p><p> Zevran desperately tried to wriggle out of Sten's grip but he stopped when he heard the Mabari cry out. Mabari were smart, you could tell their emotions from their barks, and the agonising whine that came from the dog, the howls and the snuffling as Tila tried to wake Amell up confirmed Zevran's worst fears. </p><p>"Sten... Put... Put me down... I want to hold her." Zevran asked, his head dropped low and he tried to hide the tears building in his eyes. He didn't look Sten in the eyes as, he didn’t want to look at anyone, these people had become his friends and he admired most of them, but he wanted to be selfish, he didn’t want to share in their pain right now, he wanted to hold her, the pain already felt like his heart being ripped from his chest, he didn’t want to make it worse by seeing his friends, her closest companions, heartbroken as well. He didn’t want to comfort them. Sten put him down as he requested and he nervously stumbled towards her, he didn’t know what to expect and his eyes kept flashing towards her and away again scared of what he would see. He took another scared step and he could see her now, not a lot of her, but he could see her boots, she adored those boots... </p><p>He gradually got closer seeing more and more of her, she was broken, no magic was bringing her back from this. Alistair had given up trying not to cry, he and the Warden had nothing romantic, but still, the two were inseparable and always laughing and joking, she may have loved him but the bond she had with Alistair was something that couldn't be described. Wynne had made her way to Alistair who had collapsed to his knees next to her body, he had her hand in his and he was squeezing it so tight as if squeezing it would bring her back to life. Wynne had knelt down to hug him and hold him as a mother would to an upset child, Wynne had tears silently streaming down her face but she managed to keep her voice stable as she brought Alistair against her chest and whispered comforting words to him. Alistair, leaned against her, never letting go of Amell’s hand and calling out her name in heart wrenching, breathless sobs. From what Zevran could make out from Alistair's sobs Amell had punched him so hard she knocked him out just long enough to grab his sword and run towards the Archdemon. He was only out for a minute but when he awoke she had the sword plunged into the dragon's head. </p><p>Zevran kneeled down slowly and brushed some of her hair from her face, it was heavily drenched in blood and smeared the blood across her face. She was perfect, even in death he saw her beauty and she was so brave, so good right up to the last minute. His broken heart swelled with love. He wanted to smile, she had been so terrified after every fight she took a minute to stop shaking and try and not cry, she was powerful thanks to her dedication to her study, but she always wanted to use her magic to research health benefits or something peaceful. He remembered every time she complained about a spell Morrigan had taught her. </p><p>'Those were some pretty big lightning bolts, hmmm?' </p><p>'Sadly, I hate learning these spells, well at least I can toast some darkspawn.' </p><p>'Always a bright side Mi Amor.' </p><p>'You are the bright side of my days travelling.' </p><p>'Continue being so sweet and I might just take you here... Right beside the campfire.' </p><p>'Or we could just sneak away to the river.' </p><p>'Hmmm, good idea.' </p><p>He wanted to smile because even though she had hated violence, even though she was delicate and scared of the power at her fingertips, she overcame it all to save a friend and everyone else who no longer has to worry about the darkspawn.  She was Hero, he closed her eyes with gentle trembling fingertips, she no longer needed to stare up into the blood sky or at her heartbroken friends she can rest now knowing she saved them all. That final thought was what broke him, when the tears ran down his face. She was cold as he brought her closer to his chest, her skin had black patches from the taint now. </p><p>"Mi Amor!" He cried into her bloody hair rocking her back and forth, he couldn’t hold anything together, his heart broken in a way it never had been before. The Mabari crawled up next to him whining with him, Alistair was still crying but his sobs were quieter than Zevran's now, it was Zevran's cries that echoed on the roof of Fort Drakon. </p><p>----</p><p>King Alistiar held a service, made a statue, gave the mages some things and gave the Wardens Amaranthine, Amell was granted the title Hero of Ferelden and the new King vowed to rule with his friends values at his core. Despite the fact they had all attended the service together everyone, including the King, went back to camp one last time, before they split-off on their own paths... </p><p>Wynne was going to be working with Alistair to help the relationship with Mages, <br/>Lelianna was going to hunt down Marjolaine <br/>Sten was going to return to the Qun<br/>Oghren was going to find Felsi <br/>Shale was going to become mortal <br/>And Alistair was going to find a way to rebuild the Wardens, rebuild the circle towner and hunt down the remaining darkspawn. Zevran had decided to join him at least for a time, he had planned to follow Amell around and help her with the wardens, now he would do it with Alistair instead. </p><p>The camp was eerily quiet, no chatter, no laughter, or even fighting since Morrigan had up and left as well. They half expected to hear 'wow that's so cool! It's--- AAAAHHHH IT MOVED.' From somewhere, they wanted to hear, 'I warmed up the stew!' They wanted to hear Amell's bubbly voice, Amell's innocence during the blight had made them all happy. </p><p>"She's probably so mad right now." Alistair's voice piped up from where he sat by the fire, he looked like he hadn't slept in days. He probably hadn't </p><p>"I can hear her now," Leliana whispered, "'I didn't kill the archdemon just for you lot to mope about!' She's probably yelling at the Maker’s side...." </p><p>"'Can you get a message to them? Tell them to stop wasting their time being sad.' She's probably asking the Maker." Wynne chuckled as she stirred the pot.</p><p>Eventually, everyone was telling stories, funny things Amell had done, all the things they were gratefully for about her, recalling how she had helped them. Aside from Zevran, he sat with them looking down at the floor, hearing them speak about her just made him want to break and cry like a baby. "If you'll excuse me." He spoke up before he got up and walked towards the river. No one said anything, they hd noticed that when no one mentioned Amell he could pretend he was fine but the second someone mentioned her it looked like he was breaking all over again. They were just glad he was here for them to say goodbye to the next morning.<br/>He made sure he was out of sight of the others and he punched a tree. He punched the tree several more times, they were all trying to be happy because that's what she would have wanted but he just couldn't bring himself to do it, he came here to die, he met her, he fell in love like never before, she was the one, she was his Mi Amor, the love of his life that created so much warmth in his soul and helped him find his will to live again and now she was gone. He would never fall asleep with that warmth in his arms or her scent filling his nostrils, no more spur of the moment kisses or hand-holding while they walked on their travels, for a few short months his life had been revolutionised by the most wonderful woman to walk Thedas. In a single battle, everything the woman was had been taken from the world, was taken from him.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>